DAVIS, CA--(Marketwire - September 30, 2010) - "In the face of a childhood obesity crisis, California led the nation five years ago when it banned soda and other sugar-loaded beverages from school campuses. By signing AB 2084 (Brownley) into law today, Governor Schwarzenegger expanded those protections to our youngest children in day care facilities," said Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), a sponsor of the bill.

"Sadly, nearly 25 percent of California children between the ages of 2 and 5 are overweight, and there's overwhelming evidence linking obesity to the consumption of sugar-loaded beverages. This law will effectively break that link and ensure that our youngest children are served healthy beverages. For a population that is especially impressionable, this is our chance to introduce healthy consumption habits and prevent them from developing a taste for excessively sweetened beverages," Goldstein said.

AB 2084 (Brownley) introduces similar standards already established for beverages sold in California's public schools. It requires that licensed child care facilities provide healthy beverages by offering water at every meal and throughout the day, providing only one percent milk or non-fat milk to children ages 2 and older, and limiting fruit juice to 100 percent juice once a day.

"Given the increasingly important role child care plays for millions of working families in California and the significant amount of time children spend in child care, we must ensure that these children enjoy healthy nutrition environments while in care," Goldstein said.

CCPHA is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization leading efforts in California to establish state and local policies to protect the public's health. For more information about CCPHA, visit: www.publichealthadvocacy.org.